i will try to forgive myself for not being in my body

On November 13, Big Hit Entertainment issued a full statement about recent issues. Their full statement reads: “Hello, this is Big Hit Entertainment. Recently, there are many different issues surrounding our artists BTS. Our statement is as follows: “These are the issues that Big Hit has reviewed: first, that our artist has worn a shirt with imagery of the atomic bomb. Second, that our artist has worn a hat with Nazi symbolism in an old photo shoot for a Korean media outlet. Third, that our artists are said to have used flags with Nazi imagery during a performance at a concert in which they participated. “This is our statement in response to each of those issues: in BTS’s promotions as well as the promotions of all our artists, Big Hit does not support war or the atomic bomb. We oppose these things and did not mean to cause harm to the victims of the atomic bomb. There will be no more issues like this going forward. “In BTS’s promotions as well as the promotions of all our artists, Big Hit does not support any form of totalitarianism, including Nazism, or any groups with radical political tendencies. We oppose these things and had no intention of causing harm to the historical victims of these groups. There will be no more issues like this going forward. “This is our apology for the issues mentioned above. About the item of clothing with atomic bomb imagery, as we stated above, it was not done with any intent, and we have confirmed that the shirt itself was not produced with the intention of causing harm to the victims of the atomic bomb. However, it is obvious that harm may have been caused unintentionally to the victims when the shirt was worn due to our lack of foresight and preparation. We sincerely apologize for potentially causing discomfort through the appearance of our artists being connected with atomic bomb imagery. “About the hat with Nazi symbolism being used in an old photo shoot, as we have stated above, it was not done with any intent. The clothes and accessories used in the photo shoot were given to us by the media outlet. Our artists ended up wearing them due to our inability to sufficiently check beforehand and harm may have been caused unintentionally to the victims of Nazism. We sincerely apologize for causing discomfort through the appearance of our artists being connected with Nazi imagery. “However, we would like to clearly state that the responsibility for these issues lies with Big Hit, who was not able to fully support our artists. Our artists have to deal with many schedules and site conditions and the responsibility for the above issues does not lie with them. “This is our statement on the issue of the concert performance: the concert in question was the 2017 anniversary concert of the legendary Korean artist Seo Taiji. The performance in question was built around the social message of criticizing the reality of standardized education. The imagery on the flags was artwork without any connection to Nazism. The message of the performance was to criticize a standardized, totalitarian education system. The performance became an issue because it was said that it was related to Nazism. This is not true at all, and in fact the performance was meant to criticize that kind of totalitarian reality.” “Big Hit will do our best to reform these problems that have been raised. Our motto is to give comfort and emotion to the world through our music and our artists. It is a challenge for us to consider the many elements that arise from living in an era of diversity and tolerance, but we are doing our best to fulfill that duty. In the future, on the basis of our understanding of not only these issues but various social/historical/cultural backgrounds, Big Hit and our artists will more carefully consider the details of our promotions so that we do not cause harm to people. Once again, we apologize to the people who were hurt by our lack in dealing with these issues.” “Big Hit will take the following steps in order to resolve these issues: first, we are contacting the atomic bomb victim associations in Japan and Korea to explain and apologize for the problems that have been raised. We have also sent a letter explaining and apologizing for the situation to the Simon Wiesenthal Center [a Jewish human rights group].” 

2 Cool 4 Skool (2013)

No More Dream * = about the pressure of the younger generation to follow the dreams of their parents/elders and give up the dreams of their own

길 (Road/Path) = about taking the untraditional path despite the uncertainty of the future

O!RUL8,2? (2013)

Intro: O!RUL8,2? = about pursuing your own dreams, taking chances, and living without regret

N.O * = about the machine-like nature of the current education system

팔도강산 (Satoori Rap) = about being proud of where you’re from and your dialect. acknowledges and unifies Korea’s vast linguistic/provincial diversity

Skool Luv Affair (2014)

Tomorrow = about making the future better by being the instigator for change and never forgetting who you really are

등골 브레이커 (Spine Breaker) * = comments on consumerism/materialism and respecting your elders

Jump = about remembering the hopeful dreams of one’s youth and growing up to become the hero of your own childhood

Dark & Wild (2014)

힙합성애자 (Hip Hop Lover) = about the power of music to change one’s life

Rain = comments on the repetition/monotony of life and that fact that one has to confront oneself in order to create change

BTS Cypher, Pt. 3: KILLER = haters? “i don’t give a fuck”

핸드폰 좀 꺼줄래 (Can You Turn Off Your Phone) = comments on society’s obsession with social media and the decline of face-to-face communication

2학년 (Second Grade) = about working hard and staying humble in order to reach the top

Wake Up (2014)

The Stars = about facing the ups and downs of life and never giving up no matter what

Wake Up = about continuing to work hard as others sleep & taking control of one’s life

The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 1 (2015)

Intro: 화양연화 * = comments on the uncertainty of the future, the search to find one’s purpose, and the dangers of comparing oneself to others

I NEED U * = going beyond a classic love song, the song comments on the insecurity of youth

쩔어 (DOPE) * = about waking up the sleeping youth and breaking the stereotypes placed upon the younger generation by working hard to reach the top. reject rejection!

흥탄소년단 (Boyz with Fun) = about ignoring the judgement of other’s and doing what makes you happy

이사 (Move/Moving On) = about remembering/learning from the past while reaching for a higher place

The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 2 (2015)

Intro: Never Mind * = about looking forward and working even harder if you feel like falling down

Run * = about not letting anything stop you from pursuing your passions

Butterfly = comments on the insecurities of youth & the fears of feeling dependent on someone

Whalien 52 = about loneliness & feeling like no one is listening/understanding

Ma City = comments on being aware/proud of your hometown’s history (& also calls out a Korean online terrorist group that targets minorities and leftists, especially people from Jeolla province, were J-Hope was born)

뱁새 (Baepsae/Silver Spoon) = comments on the concept of social status/privilege and the growing gap between the upper and lower class

고엽 (Dead Leaves) = comments on the difficulty of giving up something good for the better

The Most Beautiful Moment In Life: Young Forever (2016)

불타오르네 (FIRE) * = about how one should live however one wants to without labels & that it’s okay to lose

Save ME * = comments on the duality of youth (happiness and sadness) through depending on others and thanks ARMYs for accepting who they (BTS) are and letting them be who they are

Epilogue: Young Forever * = comments on the difficulty, but importance, of facing reality, moving forward, and following one’s dreams

House of Cards = comments on how ignorance can be bliss but that reality will always catch up eventually

YOUTH (2016)

Good Day = comments on brotherhood and the importance of lifting each other up to create a brighter tomorrow

Wishing On A Star = about not being afraid to have big dreams because the more you hope, the more likely it will come true

Wings (2016)

Intro: Boy Meets Evil * = comments on the dangerous addiction of greed/ambition

피 땀 눈물 (Blood Sweat & Tears) * = comments on the danger/ease of succumbing to temptation & losing the innocence of youth

Begin * = about brotherhood & how the other members shaped him to become who he is today

Lie * = about feeling trapped under the lies he told himself & losing his identity in the process

Stigma * = about struggling with his self-identity & his guilt because he can’t always be there for the people he cares about

First Love * = about how the piano guided him to recover his passion for music

Reflection * = about insecurity, loneliness, self-hatred & learning to love himself

MAMA * = about thanking his mom for always supporting him & telling her she can lean on him now

Awake * = about acknowledging his limits and imperfections but trying hard anyway & putting the other members before himself

Lost = comments on the uncertainty of growing up and finding one’s own path

BTS Cypher Pt. 4 = about not listening to those trying to bring you down & to love yourself

Am I Wrong = comments on the corrupt government system that doesn’t care about the general public and only focuses on pleasing the top 1%

21 세기 소녀 (21st Century Girls) = comments on the unjust treatment of females in current society & a women-empowerment message of strength and self-love

둘! 셋! (그래도 좋은 날이 더 많기를) (2! 3!) = about enduring/overcoming hardship by sharing your burdens and finding strength from one’s loved ones

You Never Walk Alone (2017)

봄날 (Spring Day) * = comments on government corruption by referencing the Sewol Ferry Tragedy & is about missing a friend that you haven’t seen in a long time

Not Today * = about empowering the underdogs/minorities/women of the world

Outro: Wings = about believing in oneself and having trust in one’s decisions in order to choose one’s own path

A Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone = comments on the importance of teamwork in order to dream bigger and reach higher

Love Yourself: Her (2017)

Intro: Serendipity * = about whether an individual is special because he is fundamentally different from others, or because of the relationships he foster with others

Pied Piper = comments on the possible all-consuming nature of fan culture & advises individuals to stay self-aware and maintain their personal lives as priority

MIC Drop * = about the satisfaction of rising above one’s haters by not wasting time on their meaningless words and instead focusing on one’s successes

Go Go = addresses the “YOLO” culture that has pervaded our generation, where the youth use consumerism as a means to escape the hopeless/purposeless feeling that saturates the societal work force

Outro: Her = about sacrificing one’s true self for the happiness of others. more specifically, about BTS’ gratitude/dependence towards their fans, and therefore, how the members try to hide their vulnerabilities and strive for “perfection” in order to please the said fans

Sea = about how the two emotional states of happiness and sadness are really one and the same, because one inevitably leads to the expression of the other. also about how hope can be birthed from a source of trial

Face Yourself (2018)

Let Go = addresses the inevitability of ARMYs eventually leaving the fandom and accepts that we’ll eventually walk separate paths, so that in the future we can look back upon the past with fondness

Love Yourself: Tear (2018)

Intro: Singularity * = about facing the truth of one’s loneliness, but realizing that life is transient and that change is coming

FAKE LOVE * = about lying to yourself by hiding your weaknesses and living a life that is not true

The Truth Untold = about feeling inadequate to love others because you cannot love yourself first

134340 = about the feeling of resentment and loss of self-identity when dismissed from one’s previously held entity

Paradise = comments on how it’s okay to not have a dream nor fully understand your purpose in life; just don’t fall into the trap of adopting someone else’s expectations of yourself as your own “dreams”

Love Maze = about ignoring the opinions of others and living for yourself, even if the path may seem unclear

Magic Shop = thanking ARMYs for helping BTS become the best version of themselves and telling their fans that they trust you will take care of your own selves as well

Airplane pt.2 = about the satisfaction of observing their haters from the sky, as they fly to higher success. also about not forgetting where you come from and continuing to work hard with your initial intentions in mind.

Anpanman = about wanting to be a hero for others, even if it means sacrificing oneself

So What = about letting go of the worries one has built up in one’s head and running forward without regrets about things you can’t fix

Outro: Tear = about learning to deal with one’s self-hatred and self-destruction before being able to face one’s true self and reciprocate real love

Love Yourself: Answer (2018)

Euphoria * = about holding on to naive but painless dreams and refusing to wake up from the false comfort of “euphoria”

Trivia 起 : Just Dance = about turning even the negatives into positives by steadily pursuing your dreams and enjoying each moment as they come

Trivia 承 : Love = about the interdependence of live (살아) and love (사랑) to human (사람) existence

Trivia 轉 : Seesaw = about getting trapped on a metaphorical seesaw of manipulated emotions and urging himself to stop playing the game

Epiphany * = about the moment of realization that in order to truly love others, you must learn to love yourself first; the journey to self-love can feel lonely and endless, but the progression will leave you feeling powerful and free.

I’m Fine = about learning to not depend on others to feel self-worth and move on from downfalls

IDOL * = about accepting and loving yourself no matter the constrictive labels that others try to put on you

Answer : Love Myself = about the process of learning to forgive oneself and to live one’s life without the mask of conformity

name: video w/ lyrics

=: live performance/dance practice

*:official music videos/trailers

Enjoyed this list? Check out A list of BTS’ UNOFFICIALLY RELEASED socially-conscious, thoughtful, woke, non-love songs

180925: BTS’ SPEECH AT THE UNITED NATION YOUTH STRATEGY 2018

Pierre and Natasha - Heath Saunders & Natalie Walker

Performed live on August 31st, 2018 at Feinstein’s/54 Below at ‘Heath Saunders & Natalie Walker: An Ideal Husband/The Good Wife’

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The songs, dance, dreams and enthusiasm of BTS 방탄소년단 energized and gave strength to young people around the world. I congratulate BTS on topping the Billboard 200 with their album titled ‘Love Yourself 轉 Tear’. This is the first ever Korean album to claim the top spot, and also the first non-English album to do so in 12 years.

At the very heart of BTS’s outstanding dancing and singing is sincerity. This magical power turns grief into hope and differences into similarity. Each of the seven members sings in a way that is true to himself and the life he wants to live. Their melody and lyrics transcend regional borders, language, culture, and institutions.

Bangtan, which literally means bulletproof in Korean, was born out of the will to protect teenagers from prejudice and oppression. The names of each member—Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook—are going to be remembered for a long time. Thank you to BTS for spreading joy across Korea and the world with your great performances.